Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Last week I was invited to a new group that was created by Ephemeral Rift. This group is known as The ASMR Project. There’s also a website linked to this group.

What is the ASMR Project all about then, you may ask?

Ephemeral Rift posted a little while back on the ASMR Facebook group about an idea he had: to have people record short video clips which were intended to trigger ASMR in experiencers, and then send them in so that they could be put together in a sort of montage or compilation. So shortly afterwards the Facebook group was set up, and work began on the main website, too.

Currently there’s a poll on the group (which is closed, so you’ll need to apply to join to be able to see what’s going on) where people are voting to determine how long each clip should be. Initially the plan was 15 seconds, but a lot of people are opting for 30 seconds instead, which is the maximum length.

There may be two or three good things about a project like this. First off, everybody likes a compilation, or a collaboration. That’s why when two major whisperers get together and make a video, it grabs everybody’s attention – maybe not everyone, but a lot of people anyway. It’s like a duet with two major artists. Secondly, a person can get more exposure by being involved in a project like this and they’re looking to improve their YouTube channel views and subscriptions, perhaps more. Traffic is a valuable commodity online as we all know.

I can also think of another reason this may well take off: people might like to keep it short and sweet. I’ve read of those online who watch trigger videos, often recommended by others, and complain that a video drags on for too long, the subject matter of the video doesn’t appeal to them, or doesn’t even trigger them by the time they get through it. It might be a good way to sample a trigger video maker’s creations and find the ones you like before committing to some of their larger creations on their YouTube channels or elsewhere. That, and it can apparently take a heck of a long time to upload lengthy trigger videos, particularly if they’re in HD!

Lastly, it might be a bit of fun. In Ephemeral Rifts own words: “Do something because you want to do it”. So go and do it!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Last year we had an ASMR-themed radio broadcast. This year so far we’ve had talk of an ASMR documentary which has cropped up at least on two separate occasions. There was even word of a dedicated ASMR radio station. That last one happened by the way.

So I found out on ASMR Radio’s Facebook group the other day that there is in fact a member there who has her own TV show. And she gave a few scant details of what she has in mind. She would like people who experience ASMR to appear live as guests on an episode of the TashaTasha show, which will begin airing in June 2012 on Inland Empire's Public Access channel. But if people aren’t willing to do this, she says that callers will also be welcomed. The show will mainly be about people and their experiences with ASMR, how people go about creating trigger videos, and more.

Anybody looking to get a hold of Latasha, the lady in question, should visit ASMR Radio’s Facebook group, and look her up. Then send her a private message using Facebook for details. Otherwise you can also check out her website and send her an email with any questions you might have. She also hosts on ASMR Radio, so expect an announcement of sorts on there at some point if it hasn’t all ready happened.

I do hope that more details about the show will surface over time, and it would be great if we could all tune in to watch. That would be fantastic!

Update: I got in touch with Latasha and she gave me further details on the show. The segment will run for about 15 minutes. In addition to trigger video makers and ASMR experiencers, she also hopes to get a medical professional on the show to, to get his or her opinion on the subject. The end goal is to raise awareness and to drive more traffic to YouTube and ASMR Radio. The show will also be available to watch on YouTube in addition to running live on Latasha’s cable station.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

On the Facebook ASMR Group the other day, I noticed a discussion that started on the wall. Shaun, one of the admins, came up with a Scottish ASMR community meet up idea. Now you may think this a bit odd, but the UK is one of the biggest contributors to the ASMR community, second only to the USA. It seems that even though the group has reached 3000 members, there’s still the need to interact with people in a face-to-face situation. Consider that most of us haven’t even met someone personally who knows what we’re on about when or if we dare to bring up the subject.

So far, however, most if not all of our communication has been online.

So, what do we do? The answer, which has been pointed out by several of our Facebook group members over time, is to try some meetups. They can take place online initially, where you get to know another member of the group. From there, you could even try meeting in real life. This could start out as a one-on-one meeting – just casual, nothing too formal - and you could even begin to discuss your favourite topic (no points for guessing what that is!).

The next step could be a small group meeting (the term need not be restricted to get-togethers for religious purposes), if you can find others in your city or town. You can find out someone’s country and/or city of residence by looking at their Facebook page, or other social networking website profiles (you might have to friend them first depending on their privacy settings). Or else you can ask them by contacting them – but at least introduce yourself before attempting this. Maybe a discussion could be set up on the Facebook wall where people can tell each other where they’re from (you shouldn’t give direct street addresses – a country or city is enough initially). There’s a map in the docs section of the Facebook group where people can pin their approximate location. A thread could also be started on the forum, under “introductions”, perhaps. You only have to leave a post or comment if you wish to participate. Nobody will force you. There are those who wouldn’t ever want to meet up with someone they met online in real life for various reasons. That’s completely understandable. It’s entirely up to you.

Another good method of setting something up would be to use meetup.com. There’s all ready an event for a meetup in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. You could use the service to create a meetup in your area, too.

You’ll obviously need to settle on an agreed meeting place and time – this could be your house, or if you’re not yet that comfortable with the idea, rather try a public place; a coffee shop or some such. This is the recommended route to take, I would think.

There’s very little chance that all 3000 members are ever going to meet up anywhere, all at the same time. That would be chaotic – organizing such an event, the venue and all that. So these small group or one-on-one personal meetings are some nice alternatives. Who knows? You could make some new friends (you all have something in common all ready), or even something more than that.

With any sort of arrangement such as these, just remember to be cautious. I’m sure most, if not all of the ASMR group are nice, decent people (like the personality tests, and the like, carried out in the past would indicate), but just keep personal safety in mind. First meet in a public place. If you don’t like each other, then you don’t know where the other party(s) lives (and they don’t know where you reside either, hopefully), apart from being in the same city or country somewhere – and you don’t have to meet them again. If things go well, then perhaps try another meet, and get comfortable with the other person(s) before actually inviting them to your house.

If you try these meetings out, then make sure to tell us about it on Facebook or one one of our network sites, like the forum. We want to know how things went!

Site Updates

These are just mini-updates that I was too lazy or busy to make a post for. They also list changes or additions that have been made to the blog, for interest's sake and to follow how the blog is developing.